Abstract

This paper studies the Chinese ethnic policy and cultural ecological imbalances in Xinjiang. This paper examines the adversities of China’s governance strategies in Xinjiang which can be seen as  various mechanisms of political control to restructure and reshape socio-cultural landscapes and ecological balance. This study focuses on Xinjiang both as  geopolitical and historical continuum of Central Asian region. The study examines the intersection of various methodological approaches like spatial reconfiguration,  demographic engineering,  cultural assimilation and environmental degradation. 

China’s Ethnic policy in Xinjiang is primarily focused on national building, securitization,  economic restructuring  and cultural  standardisation.  This led to adverse impact on minority ethnicities prominently part of pastoralism and oasis dependent agriculture.  The state promoted development models have intensified pressure on fragile ecosystems contributing to ecological exhaustion and imbalance. Here, the concept of ‘cultural ecological imbalance’ is applied to understand the power hierarchies. It is eroding traditional knowledge systems as well as exploitation natural resources. 

This paper used the combination of  methodological frameworks from political ecology, critical geopolitics and geoeconomy. Ethnographic insights from secondary sources.  The central argument of the paper is China’s Ethnic policy in Xinjiang is characterized by militarization in the name of securitization,  cultural assimilation and disruptions in traditional economic processes.  This led to weakened balance between culture and livelihoods of ethnic minorities.  This paper concludes that the China’s governance strategies like demographic engineering,  increased forced labor and camps, expansion of colonial agriculture,  surveillance and restrictions on cultural expression led to large scale ecological degradation.

This paper coincides with the conference theme by finding that reconfiguration of space as power contestations. Societies are restructuralised along  side if cultural landscapes.  This paper tries to fill the literature gap by following interdisciplinary approach including political science,  human geography and environmental studies.  The findings are relevant to contemporary issues and challenges faced by Xinjiang and it calls for rethinking of governance and development models so that integration of cultural diversity,  local knowledge systems and ecological sustainability.